The invention relates to a spare wheel holding device for a vehicle body having a tailgate, comprising a spare wheel carrier, which holds a spare wheel and is capable of swivelling about an axis relative to the vehicle body. For purposes of the present disclosure, the term xe2x80x9ctailgatexe2x80x9d is intended to encompass any door on the back end (i.e., tail end) of a vehicle.
Such spare wheel carriers are known in so far as they are mounted by means of two swivel joints on the vehicle body, e.g. close to the fittings for the tailgate.
With such a spare wheel holding device, opening of the tailgate for loading purposes is problematical.
Such a spare wheel holding device moreover additionally requires the special provision of seats for the swivel bearings on the vehicle body.
The object of the invention is therefore to improve a spare wheel holding device of the generic type in a way that improves rear access to the vehicle body and hence to the tailgate and enables said device to be fixed as easily as possible to the vehicle body.
In a spare wheel holding device of the type described initially said object is achieved according to the invention in that the spare wheel carrier is connected to the vehicle body by a swivel joint, the swivelling axis of which is disposed in such a way that, by means of the spare wheel carrier, the spare wheel is movable from a travel position, in which it is behind the tailgate, into a rear access position, in which the spare wheel held by the spare wheel carrier is disposed at least with a part-region overlapping a rear part of a longitudinal side of the vehicle body, i.e. the part-region of the spare wheel extends in a forward direction from the tail of the vehicle body and, in so doing, overlaps the longitudinal side.
The advantage of the solution according to the invention is that it improves rear access to the vehicle body because the spare wheel in the rear access position, owing to the fact that at least a part-region of the spare wheel overlaps a rear part of the longitudinal side of the vehicle body, projects to a lesser extent back beyond the tail of the vehicle body than the solutions known from prior art.
The spare wheel is in said case preferably positioned approximately parallel to the longitudinal side of the vehicle body.
As an alternative or in addition to the previously described solutions, the object according to the invention is however also achieved in that the spare wheel carrier is mounted by means of a single swivel bearing so as to be capable of swivelling relative to the vehicle body.
Provision of a single swivel bearing allows the mounting of the spare wheel carrier on the vehicle body to be substantially simplified.
In principle, the swivel bearing may be designed in such a way that it allows swivelling about a plurality of axes or also optionally provides, in addition to the swivelling, a translational motion.
In this case it is particularly advantageous if the spare wheel carrier is mounted in the swivel bearing so as to be capable of swivelling only about a single swivelling axis, thereby selecting for the spare wheel carrier a defined swivelling motion about the swivelling axis and hence enabling easy horizontal swinging from the travel position into the rear access position.
As an alternative or in addition to the previously described solutions, the object according to the invention is however also achieved in that the swivel bearing is disposed below the upper edge of a bumper unit.
Such an arrangement of the swivel bearing below an upper edge of the bumper unit, i.e. between the upper edge of the bumper unit and the road surface, has the great advantage of making it possible to realize a far simpler and far more stable arrangement of the swivel bearing than is the case with the prior art, in which the swivel bearing is always disposed above the upper edge of the bumper unit.
In particular, a further result of arranging the swivel bearing below an upper edge of the bumper unit is that opening of the tailgate may be effected totally uninfluenced by the swivel bearing and, what is more, the vehicle body above the upper edge of the bumper unit does not require any additional stabilising elements capable of holding the swivel bearing for the spare wheel carrier.
One form of realizing the arrangement of the swivel bearing provides, for example, that the swivel bearing is integrated in the bumper unit.
Alternatively, it is however also conceivable for the swivel bearing to be seated below a lower edge of the bumper unit. Said arrangement has the great advantage of allowing the bumper unit to be constructed totally separate from the swivel bearing and hence eliminating the need to modify the bumper unit itself in the event of add-on of the spare wheel holding device according to the invention.
As an alternative or in addition to the previously described embodiments, a particularly advantageous solution provides that the swivel bearing is connected to the vehicle body by a holding device provided for the bumper unit. Said solution has the advantage that, on account of the fact that the bumper unit is usually removable anyway, the swivel bearing may easily be mounted using the assembly points provided for the bumper on the vehicle body.
A particularly advantageous solution in said case provides that the swivel bearing is connected to a bumper bracket of the vehicle body.
Since the bumper brackets of the vehicle body are usually not of such a stable construction that high bending moments may be transmitted via them, it is preferably provided that both bumper brackets are connected to one another by a strut and that the swivel bearing is stabilized relative to the vehicle body by means of the strut and the two bumper brackets.
In the previous description of the individual embodiments no detailed information has been given about the movement of the spare wheel relative to the road surface during the transition from the travel position to the rear access position.
It might therefore be possible, for example, to design the movement in such a way that the spare wheel moves substantially at the same distance above the road surface.
A particularly advantageous solution however provides that the swivel bearing is designed in such a way that the spare wheel in the rear access position is disposed at a greater distance from the road surface than in the travel position.
In said case the swivel bearing might be designed, for example, in such a way that the distance of the spare wheel from the road surface during the transition from the travel position to the rear access position initially increases, then passes through a maximum value and finally in the rear access position has a value which is lower than the maximum value, thereby achieving for the spare wheel in the rear access position a dead centre position, which automatically guarantees that the rear access position is maintained.
Alternatively, it is however also conceivable for the spare wheel, as it moves from the travel position to the rear access position, to be continuously lifted relative to the road surface.
A fixing device is preferably to be provided, by means of which the spare wheel and the spare wheel carrier are fixable in the rear access position.
Alternatively or additionally a furtherxe2x80x94according to the inventionxe2x80x94preferred form of movement of the spare wheel carrier provides that the latter in the rear access position is at a distance from the longitudinal side of the vehicle body corresponding at most to approximately the distance of the spare wheel carrier from the tail of the vehicle body in the travel position.
As yet, no detailed information has been provided about the construction of the swivel bearing in a situation of the type where the distance of the spare wheel from the road surface changes. A particularly advantageous solution therefore provides that the swivel bearing has a swivelling axis, which extends obliquely relative to the vertical longitudinal centre plane of the vehicle.
Said swivelling axis is preferably directed in such a way that it includes an acute angle together with a vertical.
It is further preferably provided that the swivelling axis includes an acute angle together with a horizontal extending at right angles to the vertical longitudinal centre plane of the vehicle.
It is moreover advantageous when the swivelling axis includes an acute angle together with a horizontal extending parallel to the vertical longitudinal centre plane of the vehicle.
As regards the construction of the spare wheel carrier, as yet no detailed information has been specifically provided. An advantageous solution therefore provides that the spare wheel carrier at one side has a bearing arm leading to the swivel bearing.
By said means the spare wheel carrier may easily be designed in such a way that the spare wheel in the travel position is preferably disposed centrally relative to the vehicle body.
It is however also conceivable for the spare wheel carrier in the travel position to be disposed off-centre relative to the vehicle body.
A particularly advantageous fixing of the spare wheel carrier in the travel position is possible when the spare wheel carrier at an opposite side to the bearing arm has a fixing arm for fixing to the vehicle body in the travel position.
By said means the spare wheel carrier may advantageously be fixed at substantially mutually opposing sides in a stable manner in the travel position relative to the vehicle body.
As regards the course of the fixing arm, as yet no detailed information has been provided either. Particularly when the distance of the spare wheel from the road surface changes during the transition from the travel position to the rear access position, it is therefore preferably also provided that in the rear access position the fixing arm is at a greater distance from the road surface than in the travel position.
As yet no specific information has been provided about the fixing of the spare wheel carrier in the travel position. A particularly advantageous solution therefore provides that a fixing device is disposed below an upper edge of the bumper unit. Such an arrangement of the fixing device likewise has the advantage of enabling construction of the vehicle body above the bumper unit without special reinforcements for the fixing device.
In said case it is particularly advantageous when the fixing device is disposed in the region of the bumper unit or is disposed below a lower edge of the bumper unit.
Said fixing device preferably comprises a fixing seat, which is disposed in a fixed manner on the vehicle body, and a fixing element, which is held on the spare wheel carrier, preferably on the fixing arm of the latter.
As regards the connection between the fixing seat and the vehicle body, it is particularly advantageous when the fixing seat is connected to the vehicle body by a holding device provided for the bumper unit, so that the fixing seat also may likewise be easily retrofitted on the vehicle body.
A particularly advantageous solution in said case provides that the fixing seat is connected to a bumper bracket.
It is even more advantageous when the fixing seat is connected to both bumper brackets by a strut.
Further features and advantages of the invention are the subject matter of the following description and of the diagrammatic illustration of several embodiments.